Checkers-What Makes You Sing The Blues?

Songs:

Willin'

Never Been To Spain

Behind Blue Eyes

It's My Time

Help Me

Spoonful

Stop Dragging My Heart Around

Julie Gordon: Harmonica, Guitar and lead vocal on Stop Dragging  My Heart Around

Rick Wingel-  Percussion on Stop Dragging My Heart Around

Dave Bonham, Q. Duarte and Brett Johnson were there.

A sub par night.  I wasn't feeling it, plus our band got canceled for Friday Night due to Kris being ill.  Brian couldn't keep the thing together and there's no lead guitar player outside of Kris.   If the kid can't play, we don't play.

Quentin Duarte was the only other jammer outside of me that played.  And basically, I didn't care much for my song selection.   Julie helped out on harmonica and did great on the last song, but I wasn't pleased she decided to talk about other jammers to come up and play when I was finishing up Spoonful.   I thought that was a bit rude.   We had a bunch of dudes playing darts and whooping it up, which threw me off the beat on another song.  I didn't see Carl Meiners nor Bill Shattler tonight.  With the lack of crowd from both Whisky Jo's and then Checkers' I really doubt these jams will continue.  You can blame the road construction all you want but nobody seems to be interested in playing.  I think this is even worse than the 2020 Covid outbreak   

We don't have the Whittier Jam anymore.

Nor Parlor City Blues Jam

Nor Waubeek

Nor Kitty's

And the Artisan isn't even drawing flies to the open mic.

And Stone City and Rumors' numbers are down.   I can't explain it.  Everybody is afraid of getting Covid.  I will probably die of a heart attack before too long before covid hits me.

I'm not sure if things will ever get back to normal.  Oh, there'll be future jams from future bars, we always had that in the 6 years I've been back.  But I have noticed the jammers are my age or older. 

Needless to say, I caught second hand wind about Blues Rox being canceled, (why didn't PJ tell me right there?) so I wasn't thrilled with him.  Nor was I was thrilled with another Musician friend sent this note:

"Which made me think, why don't you ever make an effort to come out and see me play? I don't understand. You know where I'm at but you never show! I don't get it..."

Which made me wanna reply "why haven't you made the effort to see me?"  The problem is, he had gigs on nights that I had gigs or was committed to Stone City or Rumors?  If we are going to support one another, we must support our gigs when they come up.  He was playing Solon Beef Days when we were playing The Artisan   Am I the bad guy for doing these paying gigs, whereas I know I have to drop a five in the tip jar.  I do know I owe him a visit or two, we just need to have an open date to go see him if I had  no gigs.  And when I'm feeling better.

If anybody cares, the photo is from Al's Birthday Bash.  There were no photos taken of the Checker's jam.   Which is just as fine with me.